[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 137 (Tuesday, July 18, 1995)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 36744-36746]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-17624]
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[[Page 36745]]
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
10 CFR Part 430
Appliance and Equipment Energy Efficiency Standards: Public
Workshop to Discuss Test Procedure Issues for Fluorescent and
Incandescent Lamps
AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of
Energy.
ACTION: Notice of public workshop.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (the Department) will hold a public
workshop to discuss certain issues concerning test procedures for
fluorescent and incandescent lamps. The issues for discussion and
comment are the impact of measurement tolerances, testing and
compliance of incandescent lamps at design voltage, voltage range of
incandescent lamps, and the definitions of basic model and colored
lamp. All persons are hereby given notice of the opportunity to submit
written comments concerning these issues, and to attend the public
workshop.
DATES: The public workshop will be held on Wednesday, July 19, 1995.
Five copies of any written comments must be received by July 28, 1995.
ADDRESSES: Please label your written comments as ``Comments on the
Fluorescent and Incandescent Lamp Test Procedures'' and submit them to
Ms. Sandy Cooper, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy,
Mail Station EE-431, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585. Telephone: (202) 586-7574; Telefax:
(202) 586-4617.
The workshop will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the U.S. Department of
Energy, Conference and Training Center, 1110 Vermont Avenue, NW., Suite
500, Room E, Washington, DC. Telephone: (202) 653-6788 or (202) 653-
6789. Telefax: (202) 653-6799.
Copies of the comments on the Interim Final Rule for fluorescent
and incandescent lamps are available in the DOE Freedom of Information
Reading Room, U.S. Department of Energy, Forrestal Building, Room 1E-
190, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC, (202) 586-6020,
between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, except
Federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Terry Logee, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy, Forrestal Building, Mail Station EE-431, 1000
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-1689
James Raba, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy, Forrestal Building, Mail Station EE-431, 1000
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-8654
Eugene Margolis, Esq., U.S. Department of Energy, Office of General
Counsel, Forrestal Building, Mail Station GC-72, 1000 Independence
Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-9507.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Authority
Part B of Title III of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act
(EPCA), Pub. L. 94-163, as amended, created the Energy Conservation
Program for Consumer Products other than Automobiles (Program). The
products currently subject to this Program include certain fluorescent
and incandescent lamps, and medium base compact fluorescent lamps among
others. EPCA sets minimum energy conservation standards for general
service fluorescent and incandescent reflector lamps, and requires the
Department of Energy to develop test procedures.
2. Background
On September 28, 1994, the Department published an interim final
rule defining ``basic models'' and establishing test procedures for
general service fluorescent and incandescent lamps, and for medium
based compact fluorescent lamps. 59 FR 49468. Also on September 28,
1994, the Department published a notice of proposed rulemaking to
define colored fluorescent and incandescent lamps, and to define the
exemption from energy conservation standards for a rough or vibration
service incandescent reflector lamp. 59 FR 49478. The Department
received eight comments on the interim final rule and the notice of
proposed rulemaking, including comments from manufacturers, a national
trade association, a professional society, a utility, and another
Federal agency.
Certain comments included requests that: (1) The Department's test
procedures be modified to make greater allowances for measurement
uncertainty and manufacturing variance; (2) the Department permit
testing and compliance for incandescent lamps at design voltage; (3)
the Department define the term ``basic model'' as a class of lamps with
similar lumen output and color rendering index; (4) the Department
expand the voltage range from 115 through 130 volts in EPACT to 100
through 150 volts; (5) the Department define colored lamps as the ratio
of two collinear distances on the chromaticity diagram or define
colored lamps according to application specific requirements; and, (6)
the Department define an exemption for the bulged reflector (BR) bulb
shape incandescent reflector lamp. With respect to these points, the
Department has determined that it should gather additional information
and data, and further discussion should occur, before a final rule is
issued.
3. Discussion
The purpose of the workshop is to gather information and data that
will assist the Department in addressing the six aforementioned
requests.
The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), speaking
for lamp manufacturers, claims that there are several sources of lamp
testing variability. Reference lamp calibration errors and test
procedure errors within and among laboratories cause measurement
uncertainties. Manufacturing process and materials variations also
contribute to testing variability. NEMA believes that these errors
cannot be accounted for by sample size and confidence limits alone.
NEMA recommends that a cumulative tolerance factor be used to determine
compliance with the standard and it cites a tolerance factor of
2.95% for general service fluorescent lamps. NEMA further
recommends that the Department collaborate with industry, the National
Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) and the National
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), to specify the applicable
tolerance factors.
All parties should note that section 325(i)(1)(A) of the EPCA
states that general service fluorescent lamps and incandescent
reflector lamps ``shall meet or exceed * * * lamp efficacy and CRI
[color rendering index] standards.'' Thus, the statute may prevent the
Department from applying a negative tolerance factor to lamps.
Participants at the workshop should be prepared to discuss whether the
existing statistical sampling plan and confidence level approach or
some other approach can provide adequate recognition of the
manufacturing variances and measurement uncertainties in lamp testing
and, if so, how. The Department would like to ascertain the magnitude
of the measurement uncertainty in lamp testing and the magnitude of the
[[Page 36746]]
variability in lamp manufacturing. Those values would help the
Department evaluate current and proposed approaches to account for
measurement uncertainty.
NEMA, speaking for manufacturers, claims that if the Department
requires all incandescent lamps to be tested or measured for compliance
at 120 volts regardless of rated voltage, that would render obsolete
lamps designed for operation at other than 120 volts. This is because
lamps that are designed for operation at voltages greater than 120
volts may not meet the minimum efficacy standard when tested at 120
volts; lamps that are tested at 120 volts and found to comply with the
energy efficiency standards will have a shorter life when operated in
regions where line voltages are greater than 120 volts. According to
NEMA, for those regions, an inevitable consequence of a rule requiring
compliance testing at 120 volts would be the virtual elimination of
existing lamp products designed for use where line voltages are greater
than 120 volts. NEMA also contends that ``when EPACT was enacted,
Congress and the lamp industry understood that compliance with energy
efficacy standards would be determined at an incandescent reflector
lamp's design voltage.''
The statute does not directly address whether testing and
compliance of incandescent lamps must be fixed at one voltage or must
be at the rated voltage. But section 324(a)(2)(C)(i) of the EPCA states
that labeling ``shall be based on performance when operated at 120
volts input, regardless of the rated lamp voltage.'' Consistent with
this language, it is at least arguable that testing and compliance of
all incandescent lamps must also be at 120 volts. If the statute is
read as not containing such a requirement, however, the following are
possible alternatives to determining compliance of all lamps at 120
volts: (1) Incandescent lamps should be tested and comply at the rated
voltage, i.e., the voltage of intended use; (2) establish several
voltage classes with testing and compliance at a specific voltage in
each class; or (3) in addition to 1 or 2, take steps (such as labeling
requirements, for example) to assure that lamps are sold only for use
at their rated voltage. The Department is seeking discussion of (1) Its
authority to permit or require testing at voltages other than 120
volts, (2) the foregoing three alternatives, and (3) any other
alternatives which relate to the issue of the voltage level(s) at which
incandescent lamps should be tested and measured for compliance.
A NEMA comment requests that the Department treat a family of
fluorescent lamps of different colors but with the same wattage and
light output as a basic model. Some lamp manufacturers also claimed
that it was unclear whether a basic model of lamp is an individual lamp
type or a family of lamps with similar lumen output and other
characteristics. This issue is critical to manufacturers because they
want to assure themselves that they will not test more lamps than are
necessary. The Department's interim final test procedures for lamps
require testing of each ``basic model,'' and in essence define basic
model for lamps as consisting of ``a given type'' or ``class'' of lamps
that have ``photometric and electrical characteristics, including
lumens per watt and Color Rendering Index (CRI), which are essentially
identical. The Department seeks discussion on whether manufacturers
believe an alternative definition is appropriate, and, if so, why and
what alternatives they would propose.
NEMA suggested in its comments that the statutory limitation to a
``voltage range at least partially within 115 to 130 volts, could
unintentionally create a potential for evading the standard for
incandescent lamps.'' Commenters suggested that there may be some
manufacturers who are preparing to build 114V lamps, and that the
Department should clarify or expand what is included in the voltage
range. To the extent that the ``voltage range'' of a product such as a
114 volt lamp ``lies at least partially within 115 and 130 volts,''
section 321(30)(C)(ii) of EPCA, the statue clearly covers that product.
Standards and test procedures, therefore, would clearly apply to the
product. Possible alternatives, however, are (1) To declare that a lamp
is covered if its intended use is in the 115-130V range or (2) to
expand the voltage range from 100 to 150 volts. Workshop participants
should be prepared to discuss the need and means for further addressing
this issue.
The definition of colored lamp in the proposed rule on lamp
definitions provides two alternatives, (1) A CRI value less than 30 for
fluorescent lamps or CRI values below 50 for incandescent lamps, or (2)
a lamp color correlated temperature either below 2,500 deg.K or above
7,000 deg.K. Other possible alternatives suggested in the comments are
to: (3) use excitation purity which is defined as the ratio of two
collinear distances on the chromaticity diagram, (4) raise the CRI for
fluorescent lamps to 40, or (5) base the exemption for colored lamp on
the lamp application. The Department is seeking information and data on
the workability and practicality of these alternatives.
4. Public Meeting Procedure
The meeting will be informal but, will be transcribed by a court
reporter. Participants will receive a copy of the Federal Register
notice of the Interim Final Rule at the meeting. 59 FR 49468. Copies of
the Interim Final Rule, the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on
definitions, and this notice are available in the DOE public reading
room. A copy of the meeting transcript will be available in the DOE
public reading room approximately 10 days after the workshop.
Issued in Washington, DC July 11, 1995.
Christine A. Ervin,
Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
[FR Doc. 95-17624 Filed 7-17-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P